What are Your Money Messages and Motivations?

We still see too many people who are obsessed with the "art of shopping." You know what we mean. Shopping has become an all-consuming hobby. Consumers are obsessed with what they bought, where they bought it, how much they paid for it. Unfortunately, your money will eventually disappear—and you will not know where it went—if you are always thinking about spending instead of saving.


Here is a solution: resolve to be an independent thinker, who buys only those "need-to" things that are best for you. At the end of the day, it is not how much you got; it is how little you spent.

Develop "savings muscles"

Everything we do in throughout our day is based on inner decisions. To make the best decisions, ask yourself, "What are my real needs? How should I be meeting them?" Dedicate your energy into reaching your savings goals and taking action that will help you achieve it.

Exercise your "savings muscles." Like exercise, the more often and continuously you do something, the easier it becomes and the stronger you become.

Analyze the "money messages" you tell yourself

Most of us have unconsciously adopted "money messages." The messages are like recordings in our brains that we tell ourselves without noticing. Here are some examples of money messages: "I don't know how to save because my family never did, or never could." Or, "I'm going to just spend all my money while I can and after I'm gone, everyone else can sort it all out." Or, "I avoid managing my money because it's: too boring, too hard, too overwhelming, or too confusing [pick one]." Or, "I would rather read the back of a cereal box than my bank statement."

You have to change the messages you tell yourself about money. This is the only way you can take responsibility for your financial life and control your destiny.

You may have subconscious prejudices against people who have more money than you have. You may believe deep down that you do not want to be like "them." You may have opinions about other people and their money, such as, "Rich people think that they are better than everyone else." Or, "Rich people are not to be trusted." Or, "Rich people are unhappy because money can't buy happiness." Rich people are no different from anyone else in these areas. They are no better, no worse.

Face the fact that you need to be financially secure to achieve your goals in life. If you take a more mature approach, you will get ahead faster.

Understand your money motivations

How you think about money may depend partly on when you were born. People raised during the Great Depression of the 1930s think differently about money than those raised during the Baby Boomer Generation. The Generation Xers and the Millennial Generation also have their own approach to money.

Regardless of your age or how you were raised, you are influenced by the same emotional factors about money. It is natural to want to buy things to gain acceptance, if you are insecure. You may hope that if you could just look and act rich, you will feel rich. You may be tempted to try to "buy" love. You may dream that a "perfect" gift would heal a cherished relationship.

Pride and revenge are ageless motivators. You may secretly vow, "Someday, I'll show them!" You may want to hurt others or shame them with your money. However, stop and think about it. If you waste your money, you are only hurting yourself, not them.

Be reasonable about your money decisions

Let's face it. Some money decisions are not reasonable. For example, a recent study found that many people are not interested in learning how to save and invest. This just doesn't make sense: Why wouldn't people want to have more money?

One reason we are confused is that our consumer-driven culture is so seductive. Manufacturers of consumer products conduct massive research to find out what products we think we want or we believe we need. Then they lure us into buying what they want to sell us. As consumers, we all are exposed to hundreds of marketing messages every day in magazines and movies, on billboards, television, and the Internet. Advertisements are everywhere, from park benches and shopping carts to the sides of buildings.

Heidi Clingen is a long-time resident of Stevenson Ranch. She and Samuel K. Freshman are authors of The Smartest Way™ to Save, Why You Can’t Hang on to Money and What to Do About It. They offer only their opinion, which does not constitute professional, financial, or legal advice. To receive a copy of The Principles of Financial Independence or submit questions, email them at Heidi@TheSmartestWay.com.